The Wizard of Omega Zircon
by thurmaxius2
Summary: The grand adventure of Sarah Jane Smith in a magical world filled with old friends, new allies(for her) and enemies she doesn't know yet. And yes I know I stink at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

The Wizard of Omega Zircon

Chapter I

The Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, and Harry Sullivan bundled back into the Tardis after a brief excursion on Omega Zircon. Sarah Jane stumbled slightly, bumping into the Doctor. He looked at her with mild concern, and asked, "You all right, Sarah?"

"Yes, Doctor, I'm fine," she said, then swayed, her eyes rolling back. The Doctor caught her and easily picked her up, carrying her gently to the sickbay. He laid her on the examining table, and then quickly and efficiently attached various instruments to her.

"Hmm," the Doctor said to Harry. "Heart rate is normal, respiration also normal. Everything is normal, but she won't wake up. Well, Harry, let's think about this, shall we?" He began to pace back and forth, amazingly avoiding tripping over his impossibly long many-colored scarf. Tapping his finger against his lips, he began to fire questions at Harry.

"Did you notice any insects anywhere around her?" the Doctor asked.

"No, I don't think so," Harry said.

"Did you see her eat anything?"

Harry chuckled slightly, then stopped when he saw the look on the Doctor's face. "Well, I would think the old girl would know better than that after traveling with you," he commented.

"Did you notice anything strange?"

Harry thought a moment, and then snapped his fingers. "She sneezed several times after smelling some purple flower."

"Do you think you could find this flower again?"

"Of course, Doctor, it's just outside"

The two hustled out to find the flower. Meanwhile, Sarah Jane opened her eyes groggily, and looked about. "Doctor, Harry," she called weakly, "where are you?" She then stumbled out of the sickbay in search of her friends.

Outside of the Tardis, Harry and the Doctor found the purple flower. "Oh, dear," the Doctor said.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"I hope I'm not right," the Doctor said, "because if I am, then Sarah is in some serious trouble."


	2. Chapter 2

The Wizard of Epsilani IV

Chapter II

Sarah Jane walked slowly down the hallway and into the control room. She staggered into the room and stumbled into the console. As she struggled to maintain her balance, she accidentally grabbed the door lever, closing the door.

Suddenly the piston in the middle of the console began moving up and down and she heard the familiar wheezing groan of the Tardis dematerializing. She was horror-struck. She must have hit the dematerialization button also!

The Tardis began to spin wildly, as if caught in a tornado. Sarah Jane was flung from wall to wall, bouncing off of the console. Finally, she hit her head on the floor and was knocked unconscious.

Meanwhile, Harry and the Doctor were outside making their way back to the Tardis. The Doctor opened the doors with his key and they went inside.

"Now, Doctor, what is the matter with Sarah?" Harry asked.

The Doctor tapped a few keys on his computer console, and then turned to Harry, looking grim. "Just as I suspected," the Doctor said, "Temporal Nightshade."

"Temporal Nightshade?" Harry repeated, "What is that?"

"Temporal Nightshade is a plant found only on Omega Zircon. Its spores, when introduced into the body, bring about a coma-like state. It also causes very vivid hallucinations and the belief that the victim is still awake. The reason why it is associated with time is that there have been reports of victims—mentally time traveling, for want of a better term.

"What do you mean, mental time traveling?" Harry asked.

"Just what it sounds like," the Doctor said. "Their mind travels randomly through time, and the experiences are extremely realistic. This occurs until the body can purge itself of the spores."

"But once the spores are gone, she'll be fine, right Doctor?"

"Yes, but the problem is if her mental time traveling experience is vivid enough and she goes through something fatal, there is a possibility that it may cause her body to die. For example, if she travels to the birth of this world, or to the end, who knows what she will experience."

"Oh, my," Harry said.

Meanwhile, inside her mind, Sarah Jane regained consciousness. She slowly stood up, and then started as she heard a mechanical noise. A small, robot dog rolled through the doorway.

"Oh, dear," Sarah Jane said, "what on Earth?"

"Greetings, Mistress," the dog said, "I am K-9."

"Well, I guess it is a pleasure to meet you, K-9. I am Sarah Jane Smith." She put out her hand, and then realized that the tin dog had no paws to shake with. "I seem to have lost my traveling companions. Would you help me find them?"

"Affirmative, Mistress," K-9 said, and wagged his metal tail.

Sarah Jane pulled the lever to open the door, and then stepped outside with K-9 behind her. Instead of the lush jungle that had been outside, they were now greeted by a beautiful prairie that stretched as far as the eye could see, broken only by a road, made of some yellow material, that wandered aimlessly over the horizon.

Sarah Jane was shocked. She couldn't help but think that somehow she had messed up the coordinates when she stumbled against the console. "Oh, no, K-9," she said, "we can't be in the same place, it looks so different."

K-9's radar dish ears spun for a moment, and then he stated, "Our present location is Omega Zircon, but I also detect a temporal shift. It is possible that we are in the same location, but in the distant past or future."

At that moment, Sarah Jane noticed the little blue people.


	3. Chapter 3

2

Sarah Jane looked in astonishment at the multitude of small, ankle height creatures gathered around. One elderly creature, with a long, white beard and a staff, was obviously the leader.

"You must be a good witch," the small blue creature said.

"No," Sarah Jane exclaimed. "I'm not a witch at all!" She looked around at the creatures. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Papa Smurf," said the elder. "These are my children."

"Why do you think I am a witch?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Because your magical blue box has appeared and slain the evil sorcerer Gargamel," Papa Smurf explained.

"But I haven't killed anyone," Sarah protested.

"Look over there," Papa Smurf said, pointing to the side of the Tardis. Sarah saw, to her horror, a scrawny pair of legs sticking out from beneath the Tardis. They were clad in a pair of dusty, old, beat up slippers.

"But it was an accident," she proclaimed. "I didn't have any control over the landing."

Papa waved his hands. "No, you don't understand. You have saved us. Gargamel has terrorized us for years. He was constantly chasing us around, putting us in cages, and trying to eat us. If you hadn't come along, there's no telling how long we could have lasted."

"Well," said Sarah, "I still don't feel right about it."

Just then, a pretty, blond woman walked up from behind the Smurfs. "Hello," she said with a smile. "Decide to drop in?"

Sarah looked at her, trying to decide if she was joking. She finally decided that she was and relaxed. "Who are you?" she asked politely.

I am the good witch of the North, Romanadvortrelundar, but you can call me Romana."

Sarah shook her hand and said, "I am Sarah Jane Smith, and these blue people seem to think I am a witch."

"Well, you did save them from Gargamel," she said. "Maybe you are more than you give yourself credit for. But for right now, I need a favor. Take his shoes."

"Take his shoes? But they are hideous!" Sarah Jane exclaimed.

"Trust me," said Romana. She then pointed a small, wand-like instrument at the shoes and pushed a button. The shoes vanished from the feet that they had been on and reappeared a few feet away, completely transformed. They were now shiny ruby red shoes. The legs then shriveled away into dust.

"Wow," Sarah Jane said, "that was quite a transformation."

Romana then said, "Now, please put them on."

"I guess there is no harm in it," Sarah Jane replied, then slid her own feet into the shoes. She felt an odd tingling sensation and the shoes seemed to brighten slightly.

Just then, Sarah Jane heard the unmistakable sound of another Tardis appearing. She watched as it faded into view. The new Tardis was nothing like the Doctor's Tardis. It was a dull, gray color and was shaped like a column. It radiated pure malevolence.

The door to the Tardis opened and a woman dressed in black stepped out. "My sensors showed that Gargamel is dead. I want the shoes."

Romana smiled. "You're too late, Rani. The shoes have bonded with the person who killed that foul man."

The Rani shouted, "What? Those shoes are mine!"

"No," Romana said, "I would say that they are now Sarah Jane's. You know that once bonded they will only release in the event of the wearer's death."

"I will get those shoes," the Rani vowed. "No matter what."

She then stepped back into her Tardis and vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

Sarah Jane looked at Romana in confusion. "What have you gotten me involved in?" she asked.

Romana sighed and said, "Look, I'll be honest with you. The reason I needed you to put on the shoes is because the shoes are very powerful. Thousands of years ago, those shoes were brought into being by a powerful wizard named Rassilon. They bond with the wearer to create a symbiotic relationship. This imbues the wearer with great powers which increase as time goes on. Somehow, Gargamel came into possession of the shoes many years ago and went from a third-rate magician to a powerful, evil sorcerer. But because of your blue box, he can no longer terrorize these good Smurfs.

"But you said the only way to remove them is for the wearer to die," Sarah Jane said, "That means this witch, Rani will be after me."

Romana looked sheepish, "There is that." She thought for a moment, and then said, "Ok, here's what you need to do. Follow this road." She pointed to the yellow brick road. "It will take you to the Emerald City. There you will find the Wizard of Omega Zircon. If anyone knows what to do, it will be him."

Sarah Jane was starting to get angry. "So you are just going to get me involved in this and then pass me off to someone else? That's just great." She started down the brick road, and looking behind her said, "Come on, K-9, maybe we will find the Doctor and Harry on the way there."

Romana watched as Sarah Jane and K-9 followed the road. "I hope I did the right thing," she said sadly.

Meanwhile, back in reality, the Doctor and Harry kept constant vigil, waiting for some sign of improvement from Sarah.

Sarah walked briskly down the yellow brick road, noticing that the longer she wore the amazing shoes, the less her feet hurt and the better she felt overall. "These things are wonderful," she thought. "No wonder everyone wants them."

She continued walking for what seemed like hours, until she came to a large field of some corn-like vegetable. On a post, toward the edge of the field, and facing away from her was a man-shaped figure.

"Oh, Doctor," she sighed, "Where are you?"

A voice spoke from nearby. "Are you hurt?"

"What?" Sarah Jane looked around. "Who said that?"

She heard a rustling sound and noticed the figure on the post moving. She went closer and gasped when she looked up and saw a familiar brown fedora perched on the head of the scarecrow. She shielded her eyes from the sun. Now she could make out a long coat and very long multi-colored scarf. Then she saw the curly brown hair and toothy grin.

"Doctor," she exclaimed, "What are you doing up there?"

"There's a doctor up here, too?" the scarecrow asked.

Sarah Jane looked up at him, dumbfounded. "No, you're the Doctor."

"Who, me? No, no, no, you've got the wrong person. I'm just a lowly scarecrow, without enough brains to be a doctor. Head's full of straw, you know?"

"Do you want me to help you down," Sarah asked. "It looks awfully uncomfortable up there."

"Yes, please. If you don't mind." Sarah reached up and untied the ropes that were holding the scarecrow, which looked so much like the Doctor, to the post. He tottered for a moment, and then fell in a heap. Sarah rushed to help him up. He jumped up and brushed himself off.

"I'll have to remember that falling hurts," he said.

Sarah giggled. "You may not be the Doctor, but you sure do look, sound, and act like him. Sometimes, he acts like he hasn't a brain in his head—no offense. I do miss him terribly."

"I wish I had a brain," he mused. "Then I could play chess and study quantum theory and all those other grand things. But, no; I only have a head full of straw and thoughts don't travel well through straw. Something about the density, I expect. So where are you headed?"

"Well," Sarah said, "I am following this road to the Emerald City. Then I am going to see if the Wizard can help me find my missing friends and get rid of these shoes."

"Do you think the Wizard can give me some brains?"

"Would you like to come along and ask? It couldn't hurt, you know," Sarah said. "I could use some more company."

"All right; sounds like fun," the scarecrow said. "My name is the Scarecrow, and you?"

"Sarah Jane Smith, and this is K-9, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said, and then giggled again. "Shall we go?"

Sarah Jane and the Scarecrow linked arms and started off once again down the yellow brick road toward the mysterious Emerald City.


	5. Chapter 5

They had been walking for quite some time when the prairie gave rise to a magnificent forest. As they crossed the threshold into the forest, the light dimmed considerably. Sarah shivered and continued on.

Slightly farther in, Sarah saw a small building, rather like a bunker. It was small, squat, and curiously surrounded by sandbags. Sarah Jane decided to look around and went to the door.

She slowly swung the door open and stepped inside. There, at a small table, sat what looked at first to be a life-sized toy soldier. A map was stretched out in front of it. Covered in small red and blue markers, it looked like a game board.

Sarah Jane and the Scarecrow walked around it, looking at the detail. Suddenly, Sarah heard a soft, whirring noise and what sounded like someone talking through a speaker in the tin soldier's chest. Very softly it said, "Battery."

"Battery," Sarah Jane wondered. She looked around and saw a shelf with what looked like a large battery on it. A sign below said, "SPARE."

"Ok, tin man, I found the battery, what now?" Sarah asked.

The Scarecrow spoke up. "I believe he would like us to change his battery. There was a weak whirring noise which sounded like an agreement.

"I guess we could try it," said Sarah, "I hope this guy isn't evil."

Together they searched the soldier for a place to put the battery. Finally, they found a hatch set into the soldier's chest. The Scarecrow carefully opened the hatch and found the battery connections. "Ok," he said, "I'm going to disconnect this one, and connect the other. I don't know if you have a back-up so I will be as quick as possible."

With that being said, he carried the battery from the shelf and put it on the table close to the soldier. He then quickly disconnected the battery in his chest and removed it. Carefully, he placed the replacement in the cavity and hooked it up.

They waited earnestly for any sign that there was now power. The Scarecrow noticed a small light blinking on the metal man's chest. There was a button above it marked "Reboot." The Scarecrow tentatively reached out and pushed it.

The effect was instantaneous. The soldier's head snapped up, the eyes lighting up. Small pistons throughout his body hissed quickly and then stopped. He then stood up. Looking at Sarah and the Scarecrow, he solemnly saluted, "Colonel Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart at your service."

Sarah gasped. How was this possible? Her friend, the Brigadier—but wait, he had said Colonel. Sarah Jane regained her composure and sketched a rough salute. "Hello," she said, "I am Sarah Jane Smith, and these are my friends, K-9, and the Scarecrow.

The Scarecrow asked the Colonel, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to you?"

The Colonel's electronic voice came from the speaker in his chest. "Long ago," he said, "I was human, just like you. At the time, we were at war with the Kelads. They were a bloodthirsty, hateful race which had turned to technology in the worst way. They were basically mutated brains in an armored vehicle."

"I was in a command position, but unlike some others I spent a great amount of time on the battlefield. Eventually, my luck began to run out. First, my legs were blown off by a mine. I survived and insisted that the surgeons replace my legs with cybernetic limbs so I could continue to fight.

Next, was my left arm, and then the right. Soon there was nothing left but a human head on a robotic body. After a flamethrower blast to the face, the technicians downloaded my memories into a cybernetic brain. It was here, while using my enhanced brain to build strategies against the Kelads, that my powercell was corrupted. I was frozen in the position in which you found me."

"How awful," Sarah Jane said with a shudder. "How can you stand all the violence?"

"Actually," said Lethbridge-Stewart, "I was trying to find a peaceful solution."

"Oh, I am so sorry," Sarah said, chastened.

"It's all right," the soldier said, "I was trying to make up for the one thing the surgeons didn't replace; my heart."

The Scarecrow pointed out, "I think the war is over. We are on our way to see the Wizard so that Sarah can find her friends and I am going to ask the Wizard if he can give me a brain. Would you like to join us? Maybe the Wizard can give you a heart, also."

"It's worth a try," said the mechanical man. "Shall we go?"

"All right," Sarah Jane replied. "Let's go find the Wizard."


	6. Chapter 6

Sarah Jane, K-9, and their two new friends, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Soldier continued on their way to find the Wizard of Omega Zircon. The forest they were walking through began to get dark. As they continued along the yellow brick road, they stayed close together, the tin soldiers glowing eyes lighting the way.

Presently, there was a rustling from a bush along the path. K-9 said, "Possible threat detected, proceeding to investigate, Mistress." He then trundled into the bush.

There was a yell, and then a figure burst out of the bush. He roared and Sarah Jane saw that it was a half-man, half-lion creature. She screamed and the figure dropped to the ground in a dead faint.

Sarah Jane regained her composure and went to see the creature. The tin soldier walked slowly with her and said, "Be careful, we don't know what this thing is."

Sarah bent down to look at the creature, which had a human-looking face. She noted that it also had large paws, and a long tail. She looked more closely at the face, and saw that once again it was familiar.

"Harry?" she questioned softly. "What is going on here?"

The creature suddenly opened its eyes, which sprang wide with fear. He rolled onto his belly and scooted as far away from Sarah as possible, whimpering. "Don't hurt me," he said pitifully.

"Wait, please," Sarah said, "We won't hurt you, I promise. Tell us what has happened to you. She continued talking softly to the man-lion, calming it.

The creature finally calmed enough to stutter through an explanation. "My name is—er, was—Harry Sullivan. I was a naval surgeon on a ship in a far-off land. We were on assignment, doing naval exercises. I was on deck when suddenly, we were attacked."

"There was an odd sound, kind of a groaning mechanical sound, and then a column-like thing appeared on deck. Everyone was kind of curious, not really alarmed. Then the door opened and some kind of gas came out. This gas covered the whole ship, knocking people out. I was rendered unconscious as well."

"When I woke up, I was in some kind of laboratory. There was this woman, dressed all in black. She laughed and said that all humans were good for was experimenting on. Then I looked down at myself and I was like I am now."

"I was angry. I roared at her and lunged. She very calmly shot me with some kind of dart, and everything started going fuzzy. Then, for some reason, I was scared. I was so very scared of everything. My shadow, flies on the wall, I mean everything. I couldn't function, I was so scared."

"Eventually, I guess she got tired of torturing me. But she told me that instead of killing me outright, she was going to do one last experiment, and see how long I would last in the wild. Then she tranquilized me again, and when I woke up I was here. That was two days ago, and I have been scared to death ever since."

"The Rani did this," Sarah Jane said. "I've only encountered the Rani one time, and I can tell you she is evil. Romana, the Good Witch of the North, called her the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Yes, she is evil," the Lion agreed. "But what can I do?"

"Well," said Sarah, "My friends, K-9, The Scarecrow, the Soldier, and I are going to see the Wizard in the Emerald City. I need to see if he can help me find my friends, the Scarecrow wants some brains, and the Soldier wants a heart. Maybe the Wizard can give you some courage. Would you like to join us?"

"Well," the Lion said, "I would like to, but I'm afraid. Are you sure it will be all right?"

"We'll take care of you," said the Soldier.

"Of course we will," said Sarah Jane.

"I guess I could try," the Lion finally decided.

The group then started walking down the yellow brick road toward the Emerald City.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter VII

Far off, in her secret laboratory, the Rani watched the group through her scanners. "I will have those shoes," she said, grinding her teeth. She then set to work, experimenting on the remaining crewmen from the vessel that Harry Sullivan was taken from.

Meanwhile, Sarah and her friends finally arrived at the gates to the Emerald City. The gates rose high into the sky, barring their way. The only break in the featureless expanse was a small sliding door set about eye level.

They walked up to the gate and saw a sign that said "Please ring bell." The group looked around for a bell, but could not find one. Finally, the Scarecrow shrugged and knocked on the sliding door.

After a moment the sliding door opened and a little old man's head appeared in the window. "Can't you read the sign?" he snapped, pointing at the sign.

The Tin Soldier asked the little old man, "Where is the bell?"

"Well, duh," said the little old man. "It's right here." He pointed behind him at a button on the wall.

"Well," said Sarah Jane sweetly, "since we have your attention, will you let us in?"

"Nobody sees the Wizard," the old man muttered crossly.

"Wait, wait, wait," Sarah said heatedly. "I was told to come here for the Wizard to see if he could help me. Now you're telling me that I can't see him?" Once again, Sarah was getting angry. "I demand to see the Wizard," she said. "I want these shoes off."

The old man perked up. "What shoes?"

"I mean these shoes." Sarah showed him the shoes. "The good witch Romana called them the Shoes of Rassilon."

"Wait here," the old man said excitedly. He ran off through a smaller door set in the rear of the room he was in. Minutes later he was back, breathing heavily.

"The Wizard will see you," he panted. "Follow the yellow line."

The group filed in through a door that magically appeared in the gate. Looking down, they saw a yellow line that continued where the road stopped. They followed the line through many twists and turns until they came to a large set of doors. "Judging by the size of everything," the Lion said, "this Wizard has to be gigantic." He swallowed hard, and then walked to the doors. He beat on them with his large paw.

The doors slowly swung open, allowing the group to enter. They stepped into a cavernous area. Looking around, they saw nothing but a large pedestal in the center of the room and tapestries all around.

Suddenly, flames shot out of the top of the pedestal, bathing everything in an eerie green light. "What is the meaning of this intrusion?!" The voice boomed from everywhere at once.

The Lion ran behind everyone else, cringing.

Just then, green smoke billowed out of the floor and a large face appeared over the pedestal.

The face bellowed at them, "What do you want?"

Sarah Jane stepped forward. "Hello, sir. I was told to come to you to see if you could help me find my friends. Also, I have these shoes that won't come off and I was told you might be able to help me."

"What of these others?" The face looked at the quartet with Sarah Jane.

"K-9, the metal dog, is with me. I will let the others tell you what they need."

"Well, sir," the Scarecrow said, "I was hoping you might be able to give me some brains. I would really like to be able to think heavy thoughts instead of dense ones."

"And I would really like to have a heart," the Tin Soldier said.

The face looked at the Lion. "And what do you want?"

The Lion, shivering with fear, looked at the face and said quietly, "I would like some courage. I am tired of being scared of everything for no reason."

The Wizard looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked, "What is in this for me?"

"What do you need?" Sarah asked.

"Well, the Wizard said slyly, "There is one thing. Many years ago, my vehicle was stolen by the Witch of the West, the Rani. I have not been able to retrieve it. If you can get me the key, I will see what I can do for you."

"The Rani? But she's the one who did this to me!" The Cowardly Lion pointed down at himself.

"That is the deal," the Wizard roared. "Take it or leave it."

Sarah Jane looked at the others and said, "I'll understand if you don't want to go, but if there is a chance that he can help me find the Doctor and Harry, I need to do it."

The Scarecrow looked surprised, "Well, of course we'll come with you, Sarah. Right, guys?"

The Tin Soldier said, "Yes, Sarah, we are coming too."

"What about you, Lion?" Sarah looked at him questioningly. "Will you come, too?"

The Lion looked at the others and made a supreme effort. "Yes, I will come too."

Sarah Jane looked at the Wizard and said, "Then I guess it is a deal. We will get the key to your vehicle, and you will help us. "Where do we need to go?"

"Follow the path from the palace," the Wizard said, "When you reach the Rani's laboratory, the key will be around her neck."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter VIII

Sarah Jane, the Scarecrow, the Tin Soldier, and the Cowardly Lion followed the path that the Wizard had indicated. It was a desolate path, overgrown with weeds. Cobblestones were missing, creating places where a wrong step could result in a broken ankle.

They walked along, mostly in silence. Finally, the Scarecrow remarked, "Well, he seemed like a nice fellow, didn't he?"

As they walked, they began to hear a distant whooshing sound. They looked around in puzzlement. What looked like a small black cloud was moving toward them.

The cloud got closer and closer. Soon they realized that it was made up of dozens of large, black man-monkeys with huge wings. Sarah screamed as two of the flying creatures grabbed her arms and began to fly off.

The Scarecrow scrambled to catch them, only to be accosted by several more monkeys who methodically pulled him apart. The Tin Soldier was thrown to the ground by a number of attackers and a pile of large rocks pushed on top of him. The poor Lion, already frightened half out of his mind, was pummeled mercilessly.

Sarah Jane was carried swiftly away, she and the monkeys dwindling in the distance.

K-9, the only party member untouched by the assault, rolled over to where the Soldier lay. He used the laser in his snout to blast the large rocks to rubble. The Tin Soldier slowly stood up and went to check on his new friends. The Lion, other than a few bruises, was fine. The Scarecrow was a mess.

"I'm fine, really," the Scarecrow said. "All you need to do is put me back together and fasten the straw inside."

The Soldier and the Lion worked together and soon had the Scarecrow back together. "Now, we need to save Sarah," the Lion said. Everyone looked at him in astonishment. "It's the least we can do," he said timidly.

The quartet continued down the path to the Rani's secret laboratory. As they neared the building, they noticed two winged monkey-men standing guard. "K-9," the Soldier asked, "do you have a setting on that laser for stun?"

"Affirmative," K-9 stated simply.

"Good," said the Soldier, "I've seen enough killing in my time. Even though they kidnapped Sarah, there may yet be some hope. I will create a diversion, and you stun them."

"Affirmative."

The Tin Soldier walked out into the open. "Excuse me," he said, "have you seen a young dark-haired girl?"

Before the monkeys could respond, K-9 zapped them with his laser. They collapsed to the ground, unmoving. The party continued down the path and through the gate.

Meanwhile, inside the laboratory, the Rani had strapped Sarah to a table. She then tried to remove the shoes from Sarah's feet. A spark of energy zapped her backwards. The Witch swore as she picked herself up off the ground. "Looks like we will have to do this the hard way," she said.

She picked up an instrument and began to advance on the defenseless Sarah Jane. At that moment, K-9 trundled through the doorway and shot the instrument out of the Rani's hand. The Tin Soldier rushed in and used his robotic strength to break the straps holding Sarah down. The Scarecrow and the Lion filed in behind.

Sarah Jane backed behind the Scarecrow. "She was going to kill me," she said with a frightened look.

Suddenly the Rani reached out and grabbed the Scarecrow. Stepping behind him, she placed a small, pen-shaped device to his head. "This is a miniature flame-thrower. Anybody moves and the Scarecrow becomes a torch."

The Lion, unnoticed by the Rani, slowly picked up a large beaker of clear fluid. "I think I will put out her little flame-thrower," he thought to himself. Then he threw the contents of the beaker at the Rani, soaking her.

"You idiot!" she screamed. "That was flesh eating bacteria!" Then she began to scream as she melted. "I'm melting, I'm melting!" The party watched in shock as she dwindled in size until there was nothing left but her clothes and a key on a necklace.

"That must be the Wizard's key," Sarah Jane said. They then very carefully fished it out of the liquid on the floor.

"I will carry it," said the Tin Soldier, "Since I have no flesh for it to eat." With that, the friends began to leave, only to stop in dismay when the winged monkey-men stepped through the doorway.

They stood still, ready to fight. The leader of the monkey-men held up his paw. "Wait." He got down on one knee, and looked at Sarah Jane reverently. "You have saved us from the evil rule of the Rani. We will help you any way we can."

The monkey-men then offered to carry Sarah Jane and her companions to the Emerald City. Soon, they were standing before the gates once again.

A/N Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed, I am trying to finish the story before I lose internet access. After that I will still be able to read stories and reviews on my phone but won't be able to post anything for a while. So please keep reading and reviewing.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter IX

The wizened old man at the guard house admitted them into the palace. They walked slowly to the large doors, fairly trembling with anxiety. The doors opened ponderously, allowing them access.

As they entered, the flames shot out of the top of the pedestal again. The green smoke billowed. Suddenly, K-9 said, "Mistress, I detect a life-form other than us in this room."

"Where is it, K-9?" Sarah responded quietly.

K-9 trundled over to one of the tapestries. "Behind here," he said.

The Tin Soldier walked over to the tapestry and pulled it to the side. Behind the tapestry, at a small computer console, sat the little old guard.

He jumped, startled, and glared at them. "What is the meaning of this?" He huffed.

"We might ask you the same thing," retaliated the Soldier.

"Well, if you must know, this helps to keep all but serious requests out. People see the big bad Wizard and they go away. Now did you bring me the key?"

"Yes, but you must help my friends first," Sarah Jane said.

"I will need the key to my vehicle before I can do anything," the Wizard said.

"All right," Sarah Jane said, "I will trust you this time."

She had the Tin Soldier give the key to the little old man. He pressed a tiny button on the key and then waited. Within moments, Sarah Jane heard the distinctive sound of a Tardis.

"Now you must help my friends," she said.

"Ok, ok," the Wizard said, "Ok, first let's help the scarecrow, shall we? Now you wanted brains. Well, from what I have seen, you have intelligence; you just need something to remind you of it. What I am going to do is this; I am going to give you a doctorate." He rummaged around in a box, and pulled out a piece of paper. "Now instead of just Scarecrow, you are Doctor Scarecrow."

The Scarecrow took the paper and looked at it in awe. "I feel smarter already," he said. "Thank you, Wizard."

The Wizard rubbed his hands together. "Ok, next is Mr. Tin Soldier. You wanted a heart. Well, I have been watching and I saw you use compassion and gentleness when it was needed. Therefore, I am awarding you with the Purple Heart. This medal signifies compassion and heart above and beyond the call of duty." He rummaged in the box again and pulled out a small medal with a magnet on it. He then attached it to the Tin Soldiers chest.

"Now, for the Cowardly Lion. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about the changes the Rani made to you physically. But, I can counteract the fear potion that she injected you with." He reached into the box and pulled out a small vial. "Drink this."

The Lion drank the contents of the vial, and then looked around in wonderment. "It's a miracle," he said, "I'm not afraid anymore."

"Can you help Sarah Jane?" The Tin Soldier asked.

"Ok, first you wanted the shoes taken off. That one is easy. All you have to do is freely give them to someone."

"But I was told that the only way they would come off is for me to die," Sarah said.

"Wellll," the Wizard said, "That's a little misconception I threw out there. Keeps someone bad from giving them to someone worse."

Sarah Jane sat down and carefully tried to remove the shoes. They came right off in her hands. She then stood up and held the shoes out to the Wizard. "I want you to have them so you can keep them safe," she said.

"I will certainly do that," the Wizard promised. "Now, for the other part of your request. I will need you to step into my Tardis."

Sarah Jane stepped inside. The Wizard came in and set the controls. "Ok, to make the explanation simple, my scanners say that you are from an alternate version of reality. What I am going to do is send you, in my Tardis, across the dimensional barrier. It may be a bit bumpy so hang on."

He then stepped back outside. Sarah Jane waved at her new friends as the doors closed, then held onto the console as the Wizard pressed a button on his key.

Suddenly, the Tardis started whirling around again, flinging Sarah around the room. Once again she hit her head and was knocked unconscious.

What seemed like an eternity later, she groggily opened her eyes. Looking around, she saw the Doctor and Harry Sullivan sitting in chairs watching her intently. She stirred, catching their attention.

"Sarah," the Doctor said joyfully, "You decided to come back to us, eh?"

"You wouldn't believe the experience I have had," she said. "But then again, after traveling with you, you very well might."


End file.
